Mechanical keyboards are such a rabbit hole

[JollyJamma]

aaargggh

Mechanical keyboards are such a rabbit hole of 'I just need a cheap mobile mech keyboard for work' and then keep justifying more features until you're looking at a rather more pricey option in the £200+ range.

I'm keen to get a 65% wireless keyboard for mobile working but I then read reviews and end up wanting a Keychron Q8 which is not wireless nor cheap.

If they made a Q8 2/4ghz mobile version, I'd be super happy.

I should probably just get a K2 and be done with it.

Any suggestions or thoughts?

 

[Darujhistan]

An endless spiral of diminishing returns vs investment IMO.

 

[MrRockliffe]

I haven't yet found a mechanical keyboard I like typing on more than a membrane.

Just not a fan of the linear movement of switches, as I typically press my keys at a slight angle, rather than perfectly down


I think a buckling spring would be great, but need to find one.

 

[JollyJamma]

An endless spiral of diminishing returns vs investment IMO.

Yeah and you can spend £500 on a tricked out one in no time.

I do think that getting a basically well designed keyboard is half the battle and Keychron seem to offer some very good options at all budgets it just seems to be the Q series that reviews tend to love more than the K series.

The K series is much cheaper than the Q series but the K series still offers wireless and hot swappable switches.

 

[JollyJamma]

I haven't yet found a mechanical keyboard I like typing on more than a membrane.

Just not a fan of the linear movement of switches, as I typically press my keys at a slight angle, rather than perfectly down


I think a buckling spring would be great, but need to find one.

Go try a bunch of keyboards at a retail shop where you can find one and give them all a good go.

I'd be surprised if tactile or clicky didn't work for you.

I have a full sized Ducky One2 that has cherry MX reds and that I find amazing for typing. Cherry MX Reds aren't even the best linear switches out there but it still easily outperforms my Logitech tactile switches.

 

[MrRockliffe]

Go try a bunch of keyboards at a retail shop where you can find one and give them all a good go.

I'd be surprised if tactile or clicky didn't work for you.

I have a full sized Ducky One2 that has cherry MX reds and that I find amazing for typing. Cherry MX Reds aren't even the best linear switches out there but it still easily outperforms my Logitech tactile switches.

I've owned:

Cherry Blue
Cherry Red
Cherry Brown
Romer G Tactile (my favourite)
GL Tactile
Razer Optical
Razer Orange


I like mechanical switches when I'm pressing down perfectly, but most of the time it's at a slight angle, and so the switch feels "rough"

 

[JollyJamma]

I've owned:

Cherry Blue
Cherry Red
Cherry Brown
Romer G Tactile (my favourite)
GL Tactile
Razer Optical
Razer Orange


I like mechanical switches when I'm pressing down perfectly, but most of the time it's at a slight angle, and so the switch feels "rough"

Wow. that's quite a range. Have you tried a low profile keyboard with low profile switches?

I'm amazed that you didn't find one that you enjoyed. I really can type much faster with a mech switch.

 

[JollyJamma]

See, this is why I'm looking at the Q series

The best keyboard, hands down, that we've tested is the Keychron Q6. This board has one of the best build qualities we've tested, with a fully aluminum case packed with layers of sound-dampening foam, specialized PBT keycaps, and a braided USB-C to USB-C cable. Typing on this unit feels and sounds excellent thanks to its gasket-mounted design, which reduces the clack of keys bottoming out and adds a nice bit of bounce, and the pre-lubed Gateron G Pro switches offer a smooth keypress. One of the best aspects of this keyboard is how easy it is to customize and maintain. Since it has a hot-swappable circuit board, you can easily pluck a malfunctioning switch out and pop a new one in without having to call customer support or solder anything.

While we recommend the Q6 here, Keychron's Q-series consists of many different sizes, from the compact (60%) Q4, the TenKeyLess Q3, or even the Alice-style Q8. Regardless of what size you go for, they all feature the same incredible build quality and range of customization. Plus, each unit comes with an included toolkit to help you customize the board exactly to your liking, a nice little bonus feature that most other customizable keyboards lack.

It's worth a mention that the Q6 is an excellent keyboard for just general productivity and typing use, but if you're looking for a keyboard you can also game with, you might want to check out the SteelSeries Apex Pro. It's a popular full-size model that's full of extra features for a responsive and fun experience while gaming, but it's also versatile enough for typing up documents and handling work tasks.

The 7 Best Keyboards of 2024

With over 235 keyboards tested, we consider the Logitech MX Keys S the best keyboard for everyday use for most people. It delivers a perfect mix of build quality, ease of use, and excellent typing quality.

www.rtings.com

So by that measure I should get the Q4 and be done with it. The Q4 is £154 which is almost double the K2 and isn't wireless. I trust Rtings though so I'm torn.

 

[MrRockliffe]

Wow. that's quite a range. Have you tried a low profile keyboard with low profile switches?

I'm amazed that you didn't find one that you enjoyed. I really can type much faster with a mech switch.

I'm currently using a G915 TKL, which is a low profile keyboard

I can type significantly faster on my MacBook keyboard compared to my 915.

Unfortunately, I've found it a chore to type on any mechanical keyboard. I only buy them because they typically have the features I'm looking for.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I bought a NuPhy Halo 65 couple months ago and they just released a Halo 75.

Same as before, but 75%, it has wired, Wireless 2.4Ghz and Bluetooth.
Adjustable feet
You can choose several switches.
It is very well dampened with lots of silicon. It is NOT gasket mounted but I think it sounds fantastic.

Oh, it's about £140.



My Halo 65.

 

[Shingyboy]

What do you guys think about the glorious keyboard where they seem to offer quite a wide range of switches. Since it is hot swappable do you guys know if there are any places to buy some of the lesser known switches as well?

 

[JollyJamma]

What do you guys think about the glorious keyboard where they seem to offer quite a wide range of switches. Since it is hot swappable do you guys know if there are any places to buy some of the lesser known switches as well?

You can get a keyboard that’ll work with a lot of different switches from Keychron.


It also depends on which model of keyboard you are talking about.

I go to Rtings.com for reviews and ergonomics are starting to become very important to me as I write a lot of documents.

Raymon , that keyboard looks good. What are the ergonomic like without the wrist rest?

 

[Raymond Lin]

You can get a keyboard that’ll work with a lot of different switches from Keychron.


It also depends on which model of keyboard you are talking about.

I go to Rtings.com for reviews and ergonomics are starting to become very important to me as I write a lot of documents.

Raymon , that keyboard looks good. What are the ergonomic like without the wrist rest?

I am used to a wrist rest (or rather, i spent years typing on the Apple keyboard which is flat), so personally I would think it needs one. But you might not.